Chronological

Solomon’s Palace

7 King Solomon also built a palace for himself. It took 13 years to build Solomon’s palace. ² He also built the building called the “Forest of Lebanon.” It was 100 cubits^[a] long, 50 cubits^[b] wide, and 30 cubits^[c] high. It had four rows of cedar columns. On top of each column was a cedar capital. ³ There were cedar beams going across the rows of columns. There were 15 beams for each section of columns, making a total of 45 beams. On top of these beams there were cedar boards for the ceiling. ⁴ There were three rows of windows across from each other on the side walls. ⁵ There were three doors at each end. All the door openings and frames were square.

⁶ Solomon also built the Porch of Columns. It was 50 cubits long and 30 cubits wide. Along the front of the porch, there was a covering supported by columns.

⁷ He also built a throne room where he judged people. He called this the Judgment Hall. The room was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.

⁸ Behind the Judgment Hall was a courtyard. The palace where Solomon lived was built around that courtyard and looked like the Judgment Hall. He also built the same kind of palace for his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt.

⁹ All these buildings were made with expensive blocks of stone. The stones were cut to the right size with a saw and then smoothed on front and back. These expensive stones went from the foundation all the way up to the top layer of the wall. Even the wall around the yard was made with expensive blocks of stone. ¹⁰ The foundations were made with large, expensive stones. Some of the stones were 10 cubits^[d] long and the others were 8 cubits^[e] long. ¹¹ On top of these stones there were other expensive stones and cedar beams. ¹² There were walls around the palace yard and around the yard and porch of the Lord’s Temple. The walls were built with three rows of stone and one row of cedar timbers.

¹³ King Solomon sent for a man named Huram^[f] who lived in Tyre and brought him to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Huram’s mother was an Israelite from the tribe of Naphtali. His dead father was from Tyre. Huram made things from bronze. He was a very skilled and experienced builder. So King Solomon asked him to come, and Huram accepted. King Solomon put him in charge of all the bronze work, and Huram did all the work he was given to do.

¹⁵ Huram made two bronze columns for the porch. Each column was 18 cubits^[g] tall and 12 cubits^[h] around. The columns were hollow and their metal walls were 3 inches^[i] thick.^{[j] 16} He also made two bronze capitals that were 5 cubits^[k] tall. He put these capitals on top of the columns. ¹⁷ He made two nets of chain to cover the capitals on top of the two columns. ¹⁸ Then he made two rows of bronze pomegranates. He put the bronze pomegranates on the nets of each column to cover the capitals at the top of the columns. ¹⁹ The capitals on top of the columns were shaped like flowers. ²⁰ The capitals were on top of the columns, above the bowl-shaped net. There were 200 pomegranates in rows all around the capitals. ²¹ Huram put these two bronze columns at the porch of the Temple. One column was put on the south side of the entrance and one was put on the north side of it. The column on the south was named Jakin. The column on the north was named Boaz. ²² They put the flower-shaped capitals on top of the columns, and the work on the two columns was finished.

²³ Then Huram melted bronze and poured it into a huge mold to make a tank,^[l] which was called “The Sea.” The tank was about 30 cubits around. It was 10 cubits across and 5 cubits deep. ²⁴ There was a rim around the outer edge of the tank. Under this rim there were two rows of bronze gourds all around the tank. The bronze gourds were made in one piece as part of the tank. ²⁵ The tank rested on the backs of 12 bronze bulls. All 12 of the bulls were looking out, away from the tank. Three were looking north, three east, three south, and three west. ²⁶ The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. The rim around the tank was like the rim of a cup or like the petals on a flower. The tank held about 11,000 gallons^[m] of water.

²⁷ Then Huram made ten bronze carts. Each cart was 4 cubits^[n] long, 4 cubits wide, and 3 cubits^[o] high. ²⁸ The carts were made with square panels set in frames. ²⁹ On the panels and frames were bronze bulls, lions, and Cherub angels. There were designs of flowers hammered into the bronze above and below the bulls and lions. ³⁰ Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the corners there were bronze supports for a large bowl. The supports had designs of flowers hammered into the bronze. ³¹ There was a frame around the top with an opening for the bowl. The frame was 1 cubit^[p] tall, and the opening was 1 1/2 cubits^[q] in diameter. There were designs carved into the bronze on the frame. The frame was square, not round. ³² There were four wheels under the frame. The wheels were 1 1/2 cubits in diameter. The axles between the wheels were made as one piece with the cart. ³³ The wheels were like the wheels on a chariot. Everything on the wheels—the axles, the rims, the spokes, and the hubs were made from bronze.

³⁴ There were supports at each of the four corners of the carts. They were made as one piece with the cart. ³⁵ There was a strip of bronze around the top of each cart. It was made as one piece with the cart. ³⁶ The sides of the cart and the frames had pictures of Cherub angels, lions, and palm trees carved into the bronze. These pictures were carved all over the carts—wherever there was room. And there were flowers carved on the frame around the cart. ³⁷ Huram made ten carts, and they were all the same. Each cart was made from bronze. The bronze was melted and poured into a mold. So all the carts were the same size and shape.

³⁸ Huram also made ten bowls. There was one bowl for each of the ten carts. Each bowl was 4 cubits across and could hold about 230 gallons.^{[r] 39} He put five carts on the south side of the Temple and five carts on the north side. He put the large tank in the southeast corner of the Temple. ^40-45 Huram also made pots, small shovels, and small bowls. He finished making all the things King Solomon wanted him to make. This is a list of the things that Huram made for the Temple of the Lord:

Huram made everything King Solomon wanted. They were all made from polished bronze. ^46-47 Solomon never weighed the bronze that was used to make these things. There was too much to weigh. So the total weight of all the bronze was never known. The king ordered these things to be made near the Jordan River between Succoth and Zarethan. They made them by melting the bronze and pouring it into molds in the ground.

^48-50 Solomon also commanded that all these things be made from gold for the Temple:

⁵¹ So King Solomon finished all the work he wanted to do for the Lord’s Temple. Then he took everything his father David had saved for this special purpose and put them in the Temple. He put the silver and gold in the special storage rooms in the Lord’s Temple.

Furniture for the Temple

4 He made a bronze altar that was 20 cubits^[a] long, 20 cubits wide, and 10 cubits^[b] tall. ² Then he made a large tank^[c] from melted bronze. It was round and it measured 10 cubits across from edge to edge. It was 5 cubits^[d] tall and about 30 cubits^[e] around. ³ There were images of bulls under the lip of the large bronze tank.^[f] They were in two rows that went 10 cubits around the tank. The bulls were molded in place when the tank was shaped. ⁴ The large bronze tank was on top of twelve large statues of bulls. Three bulls looked toward the north. Three bulls looked toward the west. Three bulls looked toward the south. Three bulls looked toward the east. The large bronze tank was on top of these bulls. All the bulls stood with their rear ends to each other and to the center. ⁵ The large bronze tank was 3 inches^[g] thick. The edge of the large tank was like the edge of a cup. The edge looked like a lily blossom. The tank could hold about 17,400 gallons.^[h]

⁶ He made ten basins. He put five basins on the right side of the large bronze tank and five basins on the left side. These ten basins were to be used to wash the things offered for the burnt offerings. But the large bronze tank was to be used by the priests for washing before they offered sacrifices.

⁷ He made ten lampstands of gold. He followed the plans made for these lampstands. He put the lampstands in the Temple. There were five lampstands on the right side and five lampstands on the left side. ⁸ He made ten tables and put them in the Temple. Five tables were on the right side and five tables on the left side in the Temple. And he used gold to make 100 basins. ⁹ He also made the priests’ courtyard, the large courtyard, and the doors that open to them. He used bronze to cover these doors. ¹⁰ Then he put the large bronze tank on the right side of the Temple on the southeast side.

¹¹ Huram also made the pots, shovels, and basins. So he finished his work for King Solomon on God’s Temple:

All the things that Huram made for King Solomon were made of polished bronze. ¹⁷ King Solomon first poured these things in clay molds. The molds were made in the Jordan Valley between the towns of Succoth and Zeredah. ¹⁸ Solomon made so many of them that no one tried to weigh the bronze used.

¹⁹ Solomon also made the dishes and things for God’s Temple. He made the golden altar and the tables where they put the bread of the Presence. ²⁰ He made the lamps and lampstands of pure gold. These were put inside the Holy Place in front of the Most Holy Place. ²¹ He used pure gold to make the flowers, lamps, and tongs.^{[i] 22} He used pure gold to make the lamp snuffers, bowls, pans, and the censers.^[j] He used pure gold to make the doors for the Temple, the inside doors for the Most Holy Place and the doors for the main hall.